December 18, 2012

Solar Panels at the Harshbarger Ranch

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Bob and Jean Harshbarger live outside of Newcastle, Wyo. on Jean’s family ranch.

Jean & Bob Harshbarger stand beside one of the solar panels that is on the ranch

Jean & Bob Harshbarger stand beside the solar panel connected to their house well.

There is no electricity on the vast prairies of their ranch, so they use solar panels to pump water for their cattle. Through the years Bob and Jean have tried other methods to pump water but none have worked as well as using solar panels. Windmills were originally used on the ranch but they are hard to service and aren’t as efficient.

An old windmill that is on the Harshbarger ranch

An old windmill that was once used on the Harshbarger Ranch.

When the Harshbargers started researching alternative ways to pump water for their livestock, they were interested in moving to propane generators or solar panels. The propane generators were less expensive at the time, so they installed the generators. After time, the solar panels went down in price and Bob and Jean decided they would be a better fit for their operation. So, the ranch incorporated the solar panels on 14 of their 28 stock water wells.

Solar panels that are used on the ranch

Solar panels are used to pump water for the cattle on Bob and Jean Harshbarger’s ranch.

According to Bob and Jean, the solar panels are more efficient and last longer than anything else on the market. The oldest solar panels on the ranch are 24 years old and are still in great condition!

A Lorentz Solar Panel control box

This solar panel control box keeps the solar panels working and the well pumping.

The solar panels will pump water as long as the sun is shining on the panels. The Harshbarger’s even have a solar panel that rotates to follow the sun, which keeps it pumping water longer. There is also a control panel on each well that alerts the rancher as to what level the well is pumping.

Tilting Solar Panel that moves with the sun

This solar panel tilts toward the sun.

Bob and Jean check the wells daily to make sure they are pumping and to make repairs. There is always a little repair work needing to be done, and Bob can usually fix it.

Bob Harshbarger makes repairs to one of the pumps

Bob makes repairs to one of the pumps on his daily route of checking the wells

Story told by WSGA Intern Brittany Schaneman following a visit with RealRanchers Bob and Jean Harshbarger – Newcastle, Wyo.

 

February 9, 2012

Winter Water

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Our water system is all based on about 30 miles of underground, PVC pipeline, that transports water from multiple water wells to more than 20 water tanks, most of which are recycled tractor tires, like the one below. We also use a couple windmills to pump water, and have a solar well on our place that we pump water with also. The system is kind of like a town’s water system, where water is piped to various residents (water tanks) from a large well (several wells in our case).

We put in all the pipeline and tanks ourselves, do the maintenance on them, and specifically designed our water system so that every pasture has water that comes from at least two sources. That way if one well/water tank/ pipeline/etc.. breaks, our livestock will still have water from a different source.

Providing water for livestock in Wyoming

Read full post at RealRancher Heather Hamilton’s blog Double H Photography

 

May 27, 2010

Branding Time

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Branding helps track livestock from pasture to plate. This helps keep the rancher's records accurate and keeps the American food supply safer.

The month of May in the Green River Valley is a whirwind of brandings. While folks in the city are running from one appointment to the next meeting, my schedule has my family and me flying between ranches.

On my calendar I had 8 brandings to go to this month. All but one were neighbor brandings. We all trade help and we also invite other friends and family to come. We’re generous like that.

I love branding because it involves the entire family. Plus it’s very fun! This year our 4-year-old got to ride with us while we gathered cows and our 2-year-old even got to help hold one of the calves while my husband and I wrestled the calf to be branded. Learning about ranching can never start too early.

Look at those kids! They'll be ready to run the operation in no time!

On our branding day this is my schedule for the day:

4:30 a.m. – Start the Day—wake kids up, make breakfast, get ready and feed the chickens and sheep. My husband gets the horses ready and does his chores.

6:30 a.m. - Get the food over to mother-in-law’s for the branding meal after we eat breakfast.

6:45 a.m. – Get on horses and head out to gather calves from the field.

8:30 a.m. – Start branding the calves.

12:30 p.m. – Head for mother-in-law’s to help with the last minute details for the meal.

2:00 p.m. – Clean up the meal.

3:30 p.m. – Go home and rest…if the kids let me. Husband goes and fixes the windmill because we turn the cows out the next day.

7:00 p.m. – My husband finally gets home and we begin to put the kids to bed.

9 p.m. – Collapse in a pile on the bed and prepare for a similar schedule tomorrow!

There is a lot that goes into a branding day especially when you are hosting the branding. Going to someone else’s branding is more fun because you don’t have to worry about the details as much. It’s just like going to Thanksgiving; it’s so much better if it’s at someone else’s house and not yours.

The days are long and the paycheck is a good meal but it is time well spent with friends and family.

Happy family moments! Thank goodness those girls are styling up the corral with those pink shirts!

From RealRancher Kari Bousman - Boulder, Wyo.

 

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